Off the Yellow Line
by hrhofelt
Summary: Two gruesome murders have Castle and Beckett stumped. Leaving two men with out their wife or daughter.
1. The Crime Scene

**Hullo everyone. This is my new story. Feedback is greatly appreciated on this story. Some thing doesn't sound right, or facts don't add up? Please let me know. This is my first story so... we shall see how it turns out. Its rated T now, but that may change.**

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Kate Beckett looked up into the eyes of Richard Castle as he lowered his mouth to hers, his eyes dark as the sea during a storm. She could feel the cool metal of the elevator wall on her back. She was trapped, nowhere to go, but Kate couldn't think of a place she would rather be than crowded in this dark elevator with him. His breath hot on her face, his sent crashing into her. She could feel the spark of arousal pooling in her belly, exploding out from her center. He stops a millimeter from her lips, cocking an ear.

Kate's eyes shoot open to the familiar ring tone from the precinct, grabbing the phone from the nightstand. Esposito's voice sounds through the phone, a body dropped on Central Park South. She thanks him once she has the address and apartment number. As soon as she hangs up she out of bed and hitting two on her speed dial.

The writer answers the phone on the fourth ring, his voice still huskey from sleep, "Why detective, are you calling because you missed me already?"

She remembers the dream she'd been having before interrupted by murder and blushes, glad he is nowhere near her. "No Castle, we've got murder. Happy Monday."

She gives him the address and hangs up. Glancing at the clock on her way to the shower she groans, 4:45 AM, why can't people get murdered at a respectable hour? Noon, if she ever murders anyone it will be at noon so she can sleep in.

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She arrives at the murder seen at 5:30, after having showered and grabbed half a bagel from her counter—eating it on the drive over. She sees Espo and Lanie talking over the body in the bedroom and gasps. Deep gashes cover the arms and legs of the victim, the white, silk sheets have been stained red, and it appears as if the victim is floating in a pool of her own blood.

"Gross huh," Espo remarks, both glancing up at her unintentional gasp.

"Where's Castle?" Kate questions.

Lanie and Esposite share a sidelong glance before the Medical Examiner says, "Gurl, its 5:30 you really think he's gonna be here?"

"I haven't had coffee yet. Anyway, you have COD for me?"

"I wont be sure until I get the body back to the morgue but I don't think it was blood loss. I think that it's postmortem but I can't be sure." Lanie turns away gesturing for someone to help her.

Kate took a second to look at her victim. She was tied, spread eagle to her four-poster bed. Brown hair, tall, thin.

"What do you have Espo?"

"Victim is Laura Newmen. Twenty. Pre-Med student at NYU."

"Next of Kin?"

"Her father in out of state on business right now. Should be flying back today. Her mother died when she was sixteen, no siblings."

"Canvas the building, see if anyone knew who might have wanted to do this to her. Have CSU tear this place apart and see if you can have a uniform pick up her father from the airport. Check with the doorman and see if there are security tapes somewhere."

"On it boss."

Kate spun and headed out- she needed coffee.


	2. Castle's Here

**Hey guys! here's your next chapter. Reviews would be lovely! :)**

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Katherine Beckett was having a bad day. A no good, terrible, bad day. It was rounding the corner to eight o'clock and she had still not had a cup of coffee. Not having grabbed any from her apartment, thinking Castle would be at the crime scene, had been a mistake. Now the stupid coffee machine wasn't working after spending about twenty to thirty minutes yelling at the thing in the break room, everyone in the precinct seemed to be giving her a wide berth.

She turned back to the murder board, hoping Espo and Ryan would be back soon and with something useful. With that thought Richard Castle strolled out the elevator doors and received some glares from uniforms that had been yelled at, multiple times, by a peeved Detective Beckett.

"Hey Beckett," called the writer holding up the coffee in his hand, "brought you something. It'll be what, your third cup?"

His only reply was her grabbing the cup from his hand and pointing to the murder board.

Whatever exclamation Castle was about to make was cut short by Esposito's loud voice calling out," Yo Beckett!"

"Hey Castle," greeted the Irishman as the two detectives stepped off the elevator.

"What do you boys have for me?"

"Well," said Esposito, "CSU said they should have the report by the end of the day. Looks like she was hit over the head with something and then tied to the bed."

"Tied to the bed, that's so weird," exclaimed Castle. "This case sounds cool." Moving towards the murder board, trying to piece together what he had missed.

"So cool, really Castle? Someone's been murdered." She turned to Ryan and raised her eyebrows

"Well," started Ryan bouncing on his toes, "one neighbor said that our vic had a resent ex-boyfriend and that the pair of them had been fighting a lot before-"

"Laura called it off," Castle finished.

Kate's phone went off, text message from Lanie, while she was reading the info she was vaguely aware of hand motions and whispers coming from above.

"Lanies got some stuff for us. Come on Castle," and with that she strode through the elevator. Calling behind her to the boys, "Go pick up that ex-boyfriend and bring him in."

The previous conversation between the boys went a little like this.

Castle pointed to the Detective and made "what's up with her" hand motions.

Ryan shrugged.

Esposito pointed to the coffee and then pointed to Castle and whispered, "you're late."

"Late" whispered Castle, "how am I late."

"Dude, shes been up since," Espo held up 4 fingers, than 3, than a fist.

"4:30?"

"And now its" eight fingers popped up on Ryan's hand.

Espo held up one finger and pointed the cup.

"It's her first cup?" asked Castle, looking quite frightened.

Both male detectives stuck their right pointer fingers to their noses and pointed their left pointers at the writer. Castle spun and headed for the elevator.

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